Rabbi's Blog

Dear Seaside Members and Friends,

Our grief and prayers are shared with the victims and their families of the recent hate crime shooting in Buffalo, New York. Ten precious human beings were killed and three others wounded, and eleven of the victims were Black. Each person is a world entire, and was mercilessly killed as each went about the innocent business of buying groceries. Just a day later, there was another mass shooting at a Taiwanese church in Laguna, California, and our hearts go out to all the victims.

As noted by the Anti-Defamation League (https://www.adl.org/), the 18-year-old alleged shooter in Buffalo is virulently racist and anti-Semitic, and posted online about his hateful beliefs that included conspiracy theories that threaten people of color and Jews. Unfortunately beliefs like his have gained traction in recent years, and FBI Director Christopher Wray has called such extremism among the biggest threats our country faces.

We are still facing the "unfinished business" that plagues our nation and lets tragedies like Buffalo happen: the continuing legacy of racism, along with the widespread availability of lethal firearms in the hands of those who shouldn't have them. All those of us who love America and are grateful for its freedoms also have a duty to work to make our country more tolerant, loving, and safe for all. May each of us as individuals and all of us as a community continue to engage and struggle for that better future. 

With sorrow and respect,

Rabbi Julie H. Danan

And just a few days later:

Friends,

It's hard to believe that I'm writing twice in a few days in the wake of mass shootings. There are no words to express the boundless sorrow and trauma over the mass murder of 19 precious school children and their teachers, irreplaceable souls at the very beginning of their lives. In one week we have seen mass shootings at a supermarket, a church and an elementary school, reaching across our country. Families are torn apart, communities are devastated, and a witnessing nation is traumatized and despairing.

Yes, we have to address the hatred, the mental strain, the family and community dissolution that lead some people to horrible acts of violence. But we also have to acknowledge that our country is shamefully a leader in the availability of lethal and effective weapons to carry out their crimes.

The shooting at Robb Elementary School hits close to home, because Uvalde Texas is part of my childhood. My family grew up with a ranch home in Uvalde County, Texas. Yes, we had guns there and so did our country neighbors, some of whom hunted to help feed their families, others of whom sought a sense of safety in remote locations.. But in the past 50 years, politics and power have ignited the gun industry and culture out of control, trampling the very value of human life. 

What can we do? It is natural to feel despair over these horrible crimes, and even more over the inaction of people in power to confront and respond to this national tragedy. Prayer may even seem futile and empty ("thoughts and prayers").. But prayer is valuable when it leads to caring and action, and sustains us to keep going with our efforts for Tikkun Olam. This Shabbat at services (May 28, 10 a.m.), I will teach and discuss how Jewish prayer is linked to action.  

Please join me at the "Interfaith Prayer Vigil to Stand Against Gun Violence" on Wednesday, June 1 at 5:00 PM at Epworth United Methodist Church (19285 Holland Glade Rd, Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971).

We will mourn and remember the victims of the recent shootings, even as we sustain one another and learn ways to get involved in responding to this American tragedy.

With care and sorrow,

Rabbi Julie Hilton Danan

P.S. There are several worthy organizations working tirelessly to curb gun violence in schools and other places. I have chosen to support (among others) Texas Gun Sense https://www.txgunsense.org/ because they are daring to seek solutions right in my home state. Update: After the Vigil, I also wrote to my Delaware representatives about supporting SB3, a permit to purchase law passed by the Delaware State Senate and stalled in the House.